Social-emotional learning school program launched

• By Rachel Lin
  and Esme Yeh /
  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Education yesterday launched a five-year program to promote social-emotional learning (SEL) in schools, with the goal of improving the mental health of students and teachers.

SEL is a process that aims to foster self-awareness, emotional management ability and social skills through education. It has in recent years become a popular research topic in pedagogy.

The ministry said in a statement that the first phase of the medium and long-term SEL program has been implemented and would run through 2029.

Photo: Taipei Times

As efficient and convenient as they are, digital technology and artificial intelligence have posed challenges to students’ mental health and the educational environment, it said.

The habitual use of mobile phones has led to an attention deficit, while social media has resulted in issues such as nomophobia, or the fear or anxiety about not having mobile phone connectivity, Internet addiction, cyberbullying, gaming disorder and interpersonal alienation, the ministry said.

It is important to help students learn to manage their life and emotions, as well as interact and empathize with others, it said.

The program is indispensable, especially as students fare well in global educational assessments, but score low in affective terms such as motivation and confidence, the ministry said.

SEL courses can help children and teenagers reduce or transform their feelings of alienation while building mental resilience and a sense of well-being, which are useful mental assets that would contribute to their future personal and professional life, as well as social harmony and national development, it said.

Department of Student Affairs and Special Education chief Yang Yi-yin (楊奕愔) said that the program would be implemented in collaboration with the National Academy for Educational Research, local governments, civic groups, academics and experts, as part of the “Healthy Taiwan” policy.

The academy said SEL could help students learn to make responsible decisions and build positive social networks.

Each school would integrate the program with the curriculum guidelines the ministry released in 2019 for 12-year basic education, in line with the school’s mission statement, academic courses and extracurricular activities, it said.

Additional reporting by CNA